Cicero's Tusculan Disputations Part 37

[41] This is a fragment from the Hypsipyle:

[Greek: Ephy men oudeis hostis ou ponei broton thaptei te tekna chater' au ktatai nea, autos te thneskei. kai tad' achthontai brotoi eis gen pherontes gen anankaios d' echei bion therizein hoste karpimon stachyn.]

[42]

[Greek: Pollas ek kephales prothelymnous helketo chaitas.]--Il. x. 15.

[43]

[Greek: etoi ho kappedion to Aleion oios alato hon thymon katedon, paton anthropon aleeinon.]--Il. vi. 201.

[44] This is a translation from Euripides:

[Greek: Hosth' himeros m' hypelthe ge te k' ourano lexai molouse deuro Medeias tychas.]--Med. 57.

[45]

[Greek: Lien gar polloi kai epetrimoi emata panta piptousin, pote ken tis anapneuseie ponoio; alla chre ton men katathaptemen, hos ke thanesi, nelea thymon echontas, ep' emati dakrysantas.]-- Hom. Il. xix. 226.

[46] This is one of the fragments of Euripides which we are unable to a.s.sign to any play in particular; it occurs Var. Ed. Tr. Inc. 167.

[Greek: Ei men tod' emar proton en kakoumeno kai me makran de dia ponon enaustoloun eikos sphadazein en an, hos neozyga polon, chalinon artios dedegmenon nyn d' amblys eimi, kai katertykos kakon.]

[47] This is only a fragment, preserved by Stobaeus:

[Greek: Tous d' an megistous kai sophotatous phreni toiousd' idois an, oios esti nyn hode, kalos kakos pra.s.sonti symparainesai hotan de daimon andros eutychous to prin mastig' epise tou biou palintropon, ta polla phrouda kai kakos eiremena.]

[48]

[Greek: ok. Oukoun Prometheu touto gignoskeis hoti orges nosouses eisin iatroi logoi.

Pr. ean tis en kairo ge maltha.s.se kear kai me sphrigonta thymon ischnaine bia.]-- aesch. Prom. v. 378.

[49] Cicero alludes here to Il. vii. 211, which is thus translated by Pope:

His ma.s.sy javelin quivering in his hand, He stood the bulwark of the Grecian band; Through every Argive heart new transport ran, All Troy stood trembling at the mighty man: E'en Hector paused, and with new doubt oppress'd, Felt his great heart suspended in his breast; 'Twas vain to seek retreat, and vain to fear, Himself had challenged, and the foe drew near.

But Melmoth (Note on the Familiar Letters of Cicero, book ii. Let. 23) rightly accuses Cicero of having misunderstood Homer, who "by no means represents Hector as being thus totally dismayed at the approach of his adversary; and, indeed, it would have been inconsistent with the general character of that hero to have described him under such circ.u.mstances of terror."

[Greek: Ton de kai Argeioi meg' egetheon eisoroontes, Troas de tromos ainos hypelythe gyia hekaston, Hektori d' auto thymos eni stethessi pata.s.sen.]

But there is a great difference, as Dr. Clarke remarks, between [Greek: thymos eni stethessi pata.s.sen] and [Greek: kardee exo stetheon ethrosken], or [Greek: tromos ainos hypelythe gyia].--_The Trojans_, says Homer, _trembled_ at the sight of Ajax, and even Hector himself felt some emotion in his breast.

[50] Cicero means Scipio Nasica, who, in the riots consequent on the reelection of Tiberius Gracchus to the tribunate, 133 B.C., having called in vain on the consul, Mucius Scaevola, to save the republic, attacked Gracchus himself, who was slain in the tumult.

[51] _Morosus_ is evidently derived from _mores_--"_Morosus_, _mos_, stubbornness, self-will, etc."--Riddle and Arnold, Lat. Dict.

[52] In the original they run thus:

[Greek: Ouk estin ouden deinon hod' eipein epos, Oude pathos, oude xymphora theelatos hes ouk an aroit' achthos anthropon physis.]

[53] This pa.s.sage is from the Eunuch of Terence, act i., sc. 1, 14.

[54] These verses are from the Atreus of Accius.

[55] This was Marcus Atilius Regulus, the story of whose treatment by the Carthaginians in the first Punic War is well known to everybody.

[56] This was Quintus Servilius Caepio, who, 105 B.C., was destroyed, with his army, by the Cimbri, it was believed as a judgment for the covetousness which he had displayed in the plunder of Tolosa.

[57] This was Marcus Aquilius, who, in the year 88 B.C., was sent against Mithridates as one of the consular legates; and, being defeated, was delivered up to the king by the inhabitants of Mitylene.

Mithridates put him to death by pouring molten gold down his throat.

[58] This was the elder brother of the triumvir Marcus Cra.s.sus, 87 B.C.

He was put to death by Fimbria, who was in command of some of the troops of Marius.

[59] Lucius Caesar and Caius Caesar were relations (it is uncertain in what degree) of the great Caesar, and were killed by Fimbria on the same occasion as Octavius.

[60] M. Antonius was the grandfather of the triumvir; he was murdered the same year, 87 B.C., by Annius, when Marius and Cinna took Rome.

[61] This story is alluded to by Horace:

Districtus ensis cui super impia Cervice pendet non Siculae dapes Dulcem elaborabunt saporem, Non avium citharaeve cantus Somnum reducent.--iii. 1. 17.

[62] Hieronymus was a Rhodian, and a pupil of Aristotle, flouris.h.i.+ng about 300 B.C. He is frequently mentioned by Cicero.

[63] We know very little of Dinomachus. Some MSS. have c.l.i.tomachus.

[64] Callipho was in all probability a pupil of Epicurus, but we have no certain information about him.

[65] Diodorus was a Syrian, and succeeded Critolaus as the head of the Peripatetic School at Athens.

[66] Aristo was a native of Ceos, and a pupil of Lycon, who succeeded Straton as the head of the Peripatetic School, 270 B.C. He afterward himself succeeded Lycon.

[67] Pyrrho was a native of Elis, and the originator of the sceptical theories of some of the ancient philosophers. He was a contemporary of Alexander.

[68] Herillus was a disciple of Zeno of Cittium, and therefore a Stoic.

He did not, however, follow all the opinions of his master: he held that knowledge was the chief good. Some of the treatises of Cleanthes were written expressly to confute him.

[69] Anacharsis was (Herod., iv., 76) son of Gnurus and brother of Saulius, King of Thrace. He came to Athens while Solon was occupied in framing laws for his people; and by the simplicity of his way of living, and his acute observations on the manners of the Greeks, he excited such general admiration that he was reckoned by some writers among the Seven Wise Men of Greece.

[70] This was Appius Claudius Caecus, who was censor 310 B.C., and who, according to Livy, was afflicted with blindness by the G.o.ds for persuading the Pot.i.tii to instruct the public servants in the way of sacrificing to Hercules. He it was who made the Via Appia.

[71] The fact of Homer's blindness rests on a pa.s.sage in the Hymn to Apollo, quoted by Thucydides as a genuine work of Homer, and which is thus spoken of by one of the most accomplished scholars that this country or this age has ever produced: "They are indeed beautiful verses; and if none worse had ever been attributed to Homer, the Prince of Poets would have had little reason to complain.

"He has been describing the Delian festival in honor of Apollo and Diana, and concludes this part of the poem with an address to the women of that island, to whom it is to be supposed that he had become familiarly known by his frequent recitations:

[Greek: Chairete d' hymeis pasai, emeio de kai metopisthe mnesasth', hoppote ken tis epichthonion anthropon enthad' aneiretai xeinos talapeirios elthon o kourai, tis d' hymmin aner hedistos aoidon enthade poleitai kai teo terpesthe malista; hymeis d' eu mala pasai hypokrinasthe aph' hemon, Typhlos aner, oikei de Chio eni paipaloesse, tou pasai metopisthen aristeuousin aoidai.]

Virgins, farewell--and oh! remember me Hereafter, when some stranger from the sea, A hapless wanderer, may your isle explore, And ask you, 'Maids, of all the bards you boast, Who sings the sweetest, and delights you most?'

Oh! answer all, 'A blind old man, and poor, Sweetest he sings, and dwells on Chios' rocky sh.o.r.e.'

_Coleridge's Introduction to the Study of the Greek Cla.s.sic Poets._